Mick the Miller
 |
|
| Species | Dog |
|---|---|
| Breed | Greyhound |
| Sex | Male |
| Born |
28 June 1926 Killeigh, County Offaly, Ireland |
| Died | 6 May 1939 (aged 12) |
| Nation from | Ireland |
| Occupation | Racing greyhound |
| Years active | 1929–1931 |
| Known for | 2 × winner of the English Greyhound Derby |
| Predecessor | Boher Ash |
| Successor | Seldom Lad |
| Owner | Kempton family |
| Parents | Glorious Event (sire) Na bac Leis (dam) |
| Appearance | Brindle markings |
Mick the Miller (29 June 1926 – 6 May 1939) was a male brindle Greyhound. He is celebrated as the first great racing greyhound to compete in England (although he was born in Ireland). Despite a short three year racing career, his achievements were highly publicised around the world and by the end of his career he had become an icon in the sport. His achievements include winning nineteen races in a row, including the English Greyhound Derby on two successive occasions. He suffered an injury at Wimbledon Stadium whilst racing which broke the streak in 1931, and once recovered was beaten in the attempt to win a third Derby title. He went on to appear in films, and is still considered one of the greatest sporting heroes in the UK.
Mick, a male brindle Greyhound, was born in Killeigh, County Offaly, Ireland before the introduction of Greyhound track racing in Ireland, and before the sport became popular in Britain. The smallest of a litter of ten puppies, his father was a direct descendant of Master McGrath, a famous Irish Greyhound who won the Waterloo Cup on three occasions. Originally expected to be used for hare coursing, a deal was discussed with dog owner Moses Rebenschied to take Mick to America to compete in the Greyhound racing circuit. However, before the deal could go through a tornado struck St. Louis, Missouri, killing 27 of Rebenschied's Greyhounds when the roof was blown off their kennel, and a further four dogs died when a van driven by his son was overturned by the storm. In a letter from Rebenschied calling off the deal he stated his reason, "I repeat, the hand of God is warning me against greyhounds."
A Catholic priest, Father Martin Brophy, brought Mick to race in England, although nearly sold the dog as a puppy to another priest, Father Maurice Browne. Although the Catholic Church in Ireland had no issues with Greyhound racing, the Catholic Church in Great Britain at the time was against it, having published a pamphlet entitled Dog Racing which called it a "threat to Sunday dinners", and described gambling that "the distribution of losses and dividends had an anti-social character because the poorest, the most unhappy, the physically and emotionally handicapped, are made to pay for the professionals and semi-professionals who get hold of intimate knowledge."
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